Abstract
<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Context:</i> Software team formation is an important project management activity. However, forming appropriate teams is a challenge for most of the companies. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Objective:</i> To analyze and synthesize the state of the art on the software team formation research. Additionally, we aim to organize the identified body of knowledge in software team formation as a taxonomy. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Method:</i> Using a Snowballing-based systematic mapping study, 51 primary studies, out of 2516, were identified and analyzed. We classified the studies considering the research methods used, their overall quality, and the characteristics of the formed teams and the proposed solutions. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Results:</i> The majority of the studies use search and optimization techniques in their approaches. Also, technical attributes are the most frequent type considered to build individuals’ profiles during the team formation process. Furthermore, we proposed a taxonomy on software team formation. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Conclusion:</i> There is a predominant use of search-based approaches that combine search and optimization techniques with technical attributes. However, the adoption of non-technical attributes as complementary information is a tendency. Regarding the research gaps, we highlight the level of subjectivity in software team formation and the lack of scalability of the proposed solutions.
Highlights
Software Project Management (SPM) includes a set of activities to deliver a software product and related artifacts to accomplish specific goals while satisfying a set of constraints [1]
Di Penta et al [11] investigated the use of search-based techniques to support software project management, showing how they can be used to address problems of (i) allocating staff to teams, (ii) staffing level adjustment, (iii) reduction of project fragmentation, (iv) team formation based on the expertise of the candidates and (v) the required knowledge to deliver the given work package
Research Question What is the state of the art on software team formation research? What research methods have been used in software team formation studies? What are the characteristics of the recommended software teams?
Summary
Software Project Management (SPM) includes a set of activities to deliver a software product and related artifacts (e.g., source code, models, test case, and documentation) to accomplish specific goals while satisfying a set of constraints [1]. André et al [4] presented a formal model for assigning human resources to software project teams using attributes such as programming language proficiency, graphic design abilities, product knowledge, teamwork, negotiation skills, proactivity, personality types, independence, and capacity to control. Several solutions (e.g., methods, techniques, guidelines, and processes) have been proposed in the Software Engineering community and by industrial practitioners, aiming to address the software team formation problem. Di Penta et al [11] investigated the use of search-based techniques to support software project management, showing how they can be used to address problems of (i) allocating staff to teams, (ii) staffing level adjustment, (iii) reduction of project fragmentation, (iv) team formation based on the expertise of the candidates and (v) the required knowledge to deliver the given work package.
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